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Cesium is the 55 element on the Periodic Table of the Elements. It was
discovered by G. R. Kirchhoff and Robert Bunsen in 1860 in mineral water.
They used it in the cesium beam clock from the National Physical Laboratory.
Here are some general things on it. |
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Atomic weight - 132.9054
Bonding radius - 2.35
Atomic radius - 3.34
Ionization Potential - 3.894
Electro negativity - .79
Density - g/ml 1.87
Melting point - K 301.55
Boiling point - K 944
Heat of vaporization - kj/mol 67.74
Heat of Fusion - kj/mol 2.092
Specific heat - J/gK 0.24
Cesium is found in large amounts in Bernic Lake, Manitoba. It comes from the Latin word "caesius" which mean sky blue. The color of cesium is a silvery white, it is ductile and soft. It is characterized by a spectrum with two bright lines in the blue along with several others. The blue would explain the name it was given. Cesium has the most isotopes out of all the elements. It has 32 isotopes ranging from 114-145. It is used in atomic clocks, and is accurate at 5 s in 300 yrs.
The chief compounds of cesium are chloride and nitrate. Cesium is from the alkali metals and like the alkali metals reacts explosively with cold water. It is the most alkaline element out of all the elements and also the most electropositive of all. It also reacts with ice and temperatures above 116C. The strongest base known is cesium hydroxide and it attacks glass. It is used in electronic tubes as a "getter" because of it's high affinity for oxygen. It is also used in photoelectric cells, and it is also used as a catalyst in the hydrogenation of certain organic compounds.
